Worst commutes in North Carolina

Written by:
February 6, 2019
Updated on February 14, 2019
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Worst commutes in North Carolina

The average American spends nearly an hour every day in a single-occupancy vehicle getting to and from work. For those who live in big, dense cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, the time wasted sitting in traffic increases substantially, but which cities have the worst commutes?

Stacker has collected data from the U.S Census Bureau to determine which North Carolina cities spend the most time traveling to work. The data, from 2017 (the most recent available) includes commuters 16 years of age or older and only people who do not work remotely.

Cities were ranked by average commute, and any ties were broken by commuters with 60 minutes or more of one-way travel time. Whether driving or taking public transport, train delays, bumper-to-bumper traffic congestion, and unexpected construction all contribute to endless frustration and bouts of road rage all over the country.

Read on to find out the worst North Carolina cities to live in if you are especially susceptible to traffic-induced anger.

RELATED: Best commutes in North Carolina

#25. Iredell (South)—Mooresville and Statesville

- Average one-way commute time to work: 25.6 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9.3%
- Workers 16 years and over: 66,699

#24. Sampson and Duplin Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 25.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 50,365

#23. Wake County (East)—Raleigh City (East), Knightdale, and Garner (North)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.1 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.3%
- Workers 16 years and over: 61,639

#22. Charlotte (Northwest)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.1 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.8%
- Workers 16 years and over: 54,036

#21. Davie, Yadkin, and Iredell (North) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.2 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 7.5%
- Workers 16 years and over: 46,454

#20. Wake County (Southwest)—Apex and Holly Springs

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 4.5%
- Workers 16 years and over: 61,152

#19. Rockingham and Stokes Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 6.4%
- Workers 16 years and over: 58,425

#18. Cabarrus County (West)—Concord, Kannapolis Cities, and Harrisburg

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 6.6%
- Workers 16 years and over: 69,883

#17. Chatham and Lee Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 26.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 8.2%
- Workers 16 years and over: 56,723

#16. Mecklenburg County (North)—Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson

- Average one-way commute time to work: 27 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 80,372

#15. Gaston County (Northwest)—Mount Holly

- Average one-way commute time to work: 27 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 45,549

#14. Mecklenburg County (South)—Matthews (South)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 27.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.6%
- Workers 16 years and over: 63,713

#13. Charlotte (Northeast)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 27.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 6.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 59,507

#12. Union (East) and Anson Counties—Monroe

- Average one-way commute time to work: 27.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 10%
- Workers 16 years and over: 54,122

#11. Stanley and Cabarrus (East) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 28 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9.4%
- Workers 16 years and over: 51,715

#10. Franklin, Vance, and Warren (West) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 28 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 10.3%
- Workers 16 years and over: 49,574

#9. Mecklenburg County (East)—Mint Hill and Matthews (North)

- Average one-way commute time to work: 28.2 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 5.9%
- Workers 16 years and over: 64,355

#8. Wake County (Northeast)—Raleigh City (Northeast), Wake Forest, and Rolesville

- Average one-way commute time to work: 28.4 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 6.1%
- Workers 16 years and over: 61,637

#7. Lincoln and Cleveland (East) Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 28.5 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 8.6%
- Workers 16 years and over: 56,140

#6. Harnett County

- Average one-way commute time to work: 29.2 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 52,885

#5. Wake County (Southeast)—Garner (South) and Fuquay-Varina

- Average one-way commute time to work: 29.3 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 6.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 58,503

#4. Granville, Person, and Caswell Counties

- Average one-way commute time to work: 29.7 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 9.6%
- Workers 16 years and over: 50,838

#3. Johnston County

- Average one-way commute time to work: 29.9 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 10.7%
- Workers 16 years and over: 84,416

#2. Union County (West)—Indian Trail and Stallings

- Average one-way commute time to work: 30.8 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 10.2%
- Workers 16 years and over: 60,941

#1. Northeast Albemarle Sound Region

- Average one-way commute time to work: 32 minutes
- Workers with one-way commutes over 60 minutes: 17.2%
- Workers 16 years and over: 48,858

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